Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-03-07
TALMAGE'S BIG FLOCK.
THE TOTAL MEMBERSHIP UP
TO 4,O51.

in Progress-A Text Suitable to the
Occasion.
BROOKLYN, March 6.--This is a Sacra-
mental day in the Brooklyn Tabernacle,
and the sermon is preached at the recep-
tion OF three hundred and fOrty-soven
new members, making six hundred and
ninety received during the present revi-
val, so that the communicate membership
is now four thousand and fifty one. The
Rev. L. Dewitt Talmage, ID. D., the pas
tor gave the right hand of fellowship to
the new members, and baptized about
ninety. The audience sang
''Blest be- the tie that binds
Our hearts In Christian love-"
There was great arch of flowers over
the pulpit, containing the words: 81 be-
lieve in the communion of saints" DIR.
Talmage took two texts: / Chronicles
rs, 8: "And four thousand praised the
Lord;" and Exodus IL, IA: ''This day
shall be unto you for a memorial" He
said:
When week before last the communicate
membership of this church passed into the
four thousand, now reaching four thousand
and fifty -one, the frst part of my text came
10 IN nina, anu DetnOuSnG myself WndJ a
grand thing it would be If the four thousand
of our communicate mem bership would, like
the four thousand Of the ancient temple,
make it their lifetime business to praise the
| Lord. Let them all take harp and tlmbrei
| and anthem and doXology!
The allusion Of my second text is to the
| Passover, which concentrated the deliver
ance of the children OF Israel on the night
| when the destroying angel sped through the
| land of Egypt, destroying the enemy but saw
| ing the Israelites, because on the door posts
| of their dwellings was sprinkled the blood of
| lamb. To-day we come to celebrate q
| grander Passover, all peril going away from
| our soul at the sight of the sprinkled blood of
| the Lamb of God ON the oor-posts of our
| hearts. Christ, our Passover, sacrificed for
| US. This day shall be unto you for memo
| rial"
| The Sacramental Sabbath, whether it comes
| In an American church or an English chapel
| or Scotch kirk, Is more impressive than any
| other sabbath. It's light Is hOlier, calmer.
| sweeter; its voices more tender, its touch is
| softer, its memories are more chastened. The
| fruits of the Christian life suddenly ripen,
| like orchards on the hill fronting the South.
| The WINE of the Holy Sacrament seems
| pressed from the grapes OF Celestial vine
| yards, and the bread broken seems to drop
| from the hand OF Hin who parted the loaves
| fol, the i've thousand. We walk to the church
| of God with more thoughtful face and with
| quieter step. The jubllant songs Of other
| sundays are struck through with pensiveness
| and are all a tremble with tears; and when.
| at the close of the service. at the door we
| shake hands, it is with more cordial grasp.
| because we feel thrilling Jnrough our body,
| and mind. and soul the great doctrines OF
! Christian brotherhood; and our minds go back
to our forefathers celebrating the Sacrament
| in times of persecution Scotland
| among the highlands; commemoratlng the dy-
| ing love of Christ. while they were pursued of
| their enemies, pouring the WINE into rough
| wooden cups, dipping the waters of baptism
| from the mountain rock, until one day they
| heard the voices Of their enemies coming up
| the hill, and the pastor cried out: ''Oh Lord.
| the shepherd, have mercy on the sheep" and
| instantly there was roaring heard as of
| great floods, and sure enough a cloud had
| burst and there were great torrents running
| down the mountain side that whelmed their
| foes with sudden wrath. What deliverance
| it was for them on that Sacramental day Oh,
| that on this Sacramento day the cloud of
| Gods mercy might burst and our sins be
| whelmed and our souls be saved! This is the
| amythist of days, This is the pearl of days.
| This is the diamond OF days. This is the day
| of days. Among the ten thousand million
| ages of eternity the first Sabbath of March,
1887, will be to you significant and memora :
| Bile, for "ths day shall be unto you" for ever
| and for ever "a memorial"
| There is much in the scene OF to-day to i'm :
| press us because 1t is q time of reinforcement.
| L used to remark that if ever lived to see our
| mem bership reach four thousand thought
| would be willing to say with one of old
''Now. Lord, lettest thou thy servant depart
| In peace. for mine eyes have seen Thy saliva
| tion." But have changed my mind, and
| never SO much wanted to stay as now, so as
| to see them all enlisted for God and to watch
| their victories. What night they not accom-
| plish in the way of making the world better
| If they were all baptized with a double por
| tion OF the Holy Ghost. Four thousand That
| is four fun regiments, as military men count
| a thousand to regiment. / think not one
| hypocrlte amongst them. Taken into the
| church sometimes in large numbers, but each
| one as carefully examined as to change OF
| heart and evidence of regeneration as thou gl
/ hn orr a NJ hfVn
| self or herself. Many of our former members
| have passed away into the skies, and have
joined the church triumphant, but We
have four thousand and more left
for the church militant. To arms
| Quit you ike meE We want nc
| reserve corps among them. Go into action
| all OF you. Some will be officers and com
| maud. Some will make cavalry charge
Some will be sharnshooters. Some will staDC
| guard. Some viii be on picket duty. Many
| of you will belong 10 the rank and file. Lei
| there be no stragglers, none OF on furough
not one deserter. With Christ for com
| mander- in chief, and the one-starred, blood
striped banner Of manger and cross to lead
| the way, give the order that the General IN
| the war gave, when rising in his stirrups, his
hair flying in the wind, he cried out till all
| the host heard him: Forward! the whole
line"
There is also something in such scene to
| deeply impress one, because IL rehearses q
| death scene. Now. you know. there Is some-
| thing very touching in such an incident.
| Though you are in a motel ana it is q stranger
that is dying, how scftly you move about the
| place, and IL you come up to his couch IL is
| with uncovered head. Even the voice OF the
! jester is stopped and when the eyes OF that
| stranger are closed it is with emotion. But
| am to tell you this morning OF death such as
| has never before or since occurred. When
| we die, we die for ourselves. and the crisis is
| aleviated by all beneicept ministries. Bath
| ings for the hands; bathings for the head
| bathings for the feet; the light turned down
low or set In just the right place; all the off,
ces Of affection about us when we come to
die. But not so with Jesus. He died not for
| Himself but He died in torment and He died
| for others. He might have moved around in
gardens made by His own hand, an earthly
| potentate amid vineyards and olive groves
| sloping TO the sea. Instead Of being tossed in
| the fshing boat on Tiberius He might have
| chosen q sunshiny day and pleasant wave
| for the lake crossing. Instead of being
| followed by an unwashed rabb He might
| have charmed saphedrims and universities
| with his eloquence. Instead OF q cross and a
| bunch OF twisted brambes on His brow He
might have died in the castle OF a Roman
merchant, the air bland with lilies and frank =
incense. But no; He died in torture; the
| good for the bad, the kind for the cruel; the
wise for the ignorant; the divine for the
| human. Oh, how tenderly we feel toward
any one who has done great Kindness and
| perhaps at tthe imperiling Of his own life /!
How we ought TO feel toward Christ, the
| captain OF salvation, on the white horse
| riding down our foes; but In the moment lie
made the victorious charge thelances OF death
| struck him
There was a very touching scene among an
| Indian tribe in the last century. IL seemed
| that one OF the chieftans had slain q man be-
longing TO an opposite tribe, and that tribe